


Better when I'm with you

by Mommadon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Lukanette Feb 2020, Lukanette Month, One Shot Collection, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mommadon/pseuds/Mommadon
Summary: It's Lukanette Month!  Herein lies all the drabbles, one-shots, and loosely connected Lukanette I can come up with during the month of February.  Prompts from Lukanette Month 2020 on Tumblr.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 26
Kudos: 108





	1. Mine

**Author's Note:**

> As a shipper-of-all-the-ships, I am looking forward to expanding the world's great Lukanette literature. I seriously doubt I'll get to all the prompts, but that's ok. I'm just having fun writing over here and am glad you stopped in to visit.

“Hey, that’s mine,” Marinette growled playfully, grabbing at the fabric in Luka’s hands but intentionally missing. 

“Finders, keepers,” he teased back, pulling the garment up to eye level and letting it unfurl down across his lap. 

“It’s not done,” she warned, but he didn’t seek to care. 

“It’s fantastic,” he responded in genuine awe. He quickly shed his hoodie and pulled the vest on over his white Jagged Stone t-shirt. Marinette made a little squeak in an effort to stop him, but when she saw the way the blend of fabrics complimented his features, she lost her drive. 

“Wow, it looks really good on you,” she responded truthfully. He stood and gave a little spin. 

“Surprised?”

“No… ok, yeah, a little bit. I had someone else in mind when I was designing it, I guess…” she trailed off, thinking of how she’d intended the straight lines and studded pockets to fit with a white overshirt and jeans, and feeling that little wrench form in the bottom of her stomach when she’d finally come to terms with the fact that he would never wear this vest. She’d let the garment fall into the work-in-progress basket, along with a few other things that reminded her of the pain of the past year.

But seeing the vest on Luka was a new experience. It fit him beautifully, as if she’d made it for him. The studs on the pocket and on top of the shoulders were edgy yet elegant, and the straight lines down the back and torso made his—Marinette flushed—surprisingly toned muscles stand out. She finally realized she was gawking, so she stood and forced herself into designer mode. She let her fingers fly over the seams and along the collar. “Of course, it’s not done,” she repeated, “I never lined it, and there were a few things I was planning…”

She was fussing with the back when he started to take it off, “I’m just teasing you, Marinette.”

But she grabbed his hands before he could pull the vest off, “No—” he halted— “just let me think for a bit.” 

She stood back and took him in. He had his quirky little grin, his turquoise hair mussed and his shoulders slumped. He was so different than how she’d originally envisioned the wearer of this vest to be. 

“Is it too weird?” he asked slowly. 

While Marinette knew he was only asking about the vest and nothing more, she knew she’d reached the crossroads she’d been avoiding for months. It was time to make this decision. It’d been a while since she’d felt the same desperate lunacy every time Adrien looked her way, but she didn’t know if she could fall for someone else. She wanted to, oh how she wanted to, but could she trust herself? Would she self-sabotage again? Would he even want her back? She knew she couldn’t face another unrequited love. It had been horrifically painful to overcome the first…

But Luka was standing right here, in her room, smiling at her. His hands were open and inviting. He wasn’t just available, he was willing. 

Her brain threw up a stop sign and that thought train screeched to a halt. _NO. I will not let him be a second choice._ For a brief moment she advanced to rip the vest off his chest and toss the beautiful garment out the window. But as her fingers reached for the material, she paused.

It fit him so perfectly—not just his body, but his personality as well. As she looked at it closer, it dawned on her how this seemed to be made for him, even if she’d originally thought it was for Adrien. But wait--this would have looked horrid on Adrien! Studs along the shoulder? He never would be able to wear that with his white overshirt! Not to mention it would have been far too long on him! What had she been thinking? 

Clarity came like a warm, welcome wave, washing away the pain of the past and filling her with the sweetness of hope and possibility. However subconsciously, however unintentionally, this vest had never been for Adrien. Her talent had told her what her stubborn heart never could—this was for Luka, and always had been. He wasn’t a second choice. He was the _right_ choice.

“It’s not weird,” she finally answered. “It’s actually totally perfect on you.” She gently reached and started to remove it from his shoulders, feeling her cheeks flame pink as her fingers brushed against the skin of his neck. He shrugged off the vest but stepped toward her.

“Good,” he whispered, “I’d never want you to be uncomfortable with me.”

She bit her lip, unsure of what to do next. Honesty, she supposed. Honesty would be the best place to start. “I’ve never been uncomfortable with you, Luka,” she whispered. Honesty and boldness. She took his hand very carefully, and then looked up to his eyes. “In fact, I think I’m realizing just how much you mean to me.”

His quirky grin spread and revealed his teeth underneath. “Really?”

She nodded and smiled back, “Really.”

He huffed a little LukaBrand™ laugh and squeezed her hand, “Would you say it again?”

“You mean a lot to me, Luka,” she supplied, and surprised herself at how effortless and sublime it felt to have her raw emotions so exposed and yet so cherished.

His nose wrinkled with delight, but then he shook his head, “No, the part where you said that I didn’t look weird.”

She laughed. He laughed back. She lightly punched him on the shoulder and the two started bantering, flirting, tickling, and giggling together until the time finally came for Luka to head out with his afternoon deliveries. As he waved goodbye, Marinette pressed her nose to the glass of her window until he’d ridden from view. She flopped back in her rolling chair and clutched her pigtails, grinning like a madwoman. Tikki casually slipped out from her hiding place in the bottom drawer of the desk. 

“Marinette?” she asked with slight hesitation, “Did you really just tell Luka you like him?”

Marinette sighed and picked up the black vest still unceremoniously draped over her sewing supplies. “Yeah, Tikki, I think I did.”

Tikki studied her briefly, then at last, smiled. “I’m so glad.” The two understood each other.   
Marinette was filled with inspiration. She went over to her box of fabric and saw each piece with new eyes. It rather shocked her that what she was wanting was right on top—a lovely turquoise satin, that was begging to be turned into the lining of one rather exquisite black vest.


	2. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of Lukanette February: Time

“Sorry, I really don’t have much time,” Luka sighed as Marinette tumbled out of the classroom, “but I needed to see you.” 

“Oh, is everything alright?” she quirked as the two found step with each other. 

He smiled down at her. “Yes, everything’s just fine. I brought us some sandwiches—I was wondering, hoping you might like to have lunch with me?”

His thoughtfulness touched her. “I’d really like that,” she nodded. 

He found them a quiet corner of her school’s courtyard and pulled the bag of sandwiches from his bag. “How was class?” he asked quietly.

“Jrmffst Frmne!” she tried to respond around a mouthful of bread and cheese. His nose wrinkled in delight as she swallowed and repeated, “Just fine. We’re starting a new book in French Lit, but I’ve already read it.”

He watched her devour her sandwich and listened with wonder as she told him all about her classes and schoolwork between mouthfuls. 

It took about eleven minutes before Marinette finally noticed something— “Wait, Luka, you haven’t had a bite of your food!”

“Oh,” he smiled at the bag in her lap, “I have a gig right after this; they’re feeding me.”

“That sounds nice, where’s the gig?”

“Over in the thirteenth arrondissement,” he said, then checked his phone the time and grimaced. “I’m sorry, I only have a couple more minutes—”

“Oh, in that case, what did you need to ask me?”

His eyebrow raised slightly and he cocked his head to the side, “Ask you?”

“Or talk to me about?”

He shook his head, “No, nothing I needed to talk to you about…”

“Do you mean to tell me,” she said, the sandwich in her hands halting a few centimeters before her mouth, “that you brought me lunch at school, even though you were on your way to a lunch gig where ample food would be provided and you only had a few minutes of time… just because you wanted to hang out?”

His eyes looked around aimlessly as he thought through her words, then returned their soft gaze at her, “Yeah, that sounds about right.” The alarm on his phone chimed. “Ah, well, that’s my cue—” he stood to leave, but she jumped up and gave him a hug before he turned to leave. 

Marinette squeezed him extra tight and inhaled his musky scent. “Thank you so much.”

“Seriously Marinette, it was just a sandwich—”

“No it wasn’t,” she corrected, “you gave me your time.”


	3. Candy Hearts

Candy Hearts

“Lucky Charm!”

As a box of chalky American candy hearts fell in Ladybug’s hand, the other superheroes groaned. “Seriously, _more_ of those nasty things?” Rena Rouge whined. “What are we supposed to do now?”

The whole of Paris had been blanketed in the disgusting hearts with tiny messages passing as ‘candy.’ This whole Akuma had been beyond weird. 

“I gotta side with Rena on this one,” Chat offered unhelpfully, “it seems _paw_ fully strange to get more candy for a candy-themed Akuma.”

Ladybug sat there, staring at the box of candy, thumbing it over and over, totally perplexed. At last, Viperion’s steady voice hummed, “Can I see that box?”

Ladybug tossed it to him and he looked at it closer. “Oh man,” he said with shock, as his eyebrows lifted his mask on his face, “Holy cow… but that’s impossible…”

“ _What_?” Rena Rouge and Chat Noir cried in tandem.

“These are the real deal—” he flipped the box over and was surprised to see an ingredients label— “And they have the original flavors—”

“What are you talking about?” Carapace growled, wincing as the wall of candy hearts pounded harder on the shell-ter he was fighting to maintain.

“Pre-2010 Necco brand Sweethearts! The originals! This is a really rare find… Ladybug! This is what the Akuma’s been begging for all this time—for the _good_ ones!”

He returned the box to Ladybug, who started looking around frantically and then shared a knowing smile with Viperion. “He’s angry because they weren’t selling his girlfriend’s favorite kind, and he’s been blanketing the city with inferior candy hearts… So maybe if we give him a box of his favorites, he’ll calm down… Viperion! You’re a genius!” Ladybug kissed him on the cheek (to which Chat had playfully pouted, “Hey!”), and nodded to Carapace who dropped the shield. Viperion scooped her up and lifted her above the tidal wave of candy hearts that crashed down on them. She was able to find a distant building sign on which to anchor her yo-yo before swinging off to take care of the akuma.

Less than a minute later, the team—scrambling to stay above the crushing flow of candy hearts, was suddenly rescued by a swarm of magical ladybugs. Ladybug dropped in beside them and held out her fist for each of them pound. They smiled together and Chat Noir quipped, “Never underestimate the peril of inferior candy hearts.” 

Viperion agreed with a grave nod and a wink at Ladybug. Ladybug quietly filed that little tidbit of information away for another day.

* * *

“Marinette, you’ve got a package,” Tom Dupain boomed up the stairs. She squealed from the room above and slid down the railings to save time. 

“I can’t believe it made it on time!” she trilled as her fumbling hands tore open the padded envelope all the way from the States. “Oh, they’re perfect,” she crooned, looking over the box. 

Not able to wait another second, she pulled on her jacket and scarf and ran for the Liberty. Three breathless moments later, Luka poked his head over the edge of the deck.

“Marinette? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Can I come up?”

Of course, he nodded and she climbed on board. She tumbled into his arms and he steadied her briefly before escorting her into the much warmer cabin. “Happy Valentine’s day, Luka!”

“But, Valentine’s day isn’t until tomorrow,” he responded hesitantly.

“I know,” she chimed, handing him the small box.

“What’s this?”

“I couldn’t wait.” 

He turned the box over and his eyes widened. An excited smile split across his face, and Marinette's heart did a happy little leap that she'd managed to put it there. “Hang on, these are…what… holy cow… How did you know?”

She smiled and shrugged, “Someone put a bug in my ear.”


	4. Hands

“Ouch!” Marinette yelped as her finger flew to her mouth for a quick suck before returning to the needle and finishing whip stitching Luka’s shoulder piece into place. “There,” she said, at last satisfied with the costume. She stepped back to observe as he gave one last twirl. “Yes, that’ll do, but try not to thrash around in it. I don’t have time to make it any more secure before you go on.”

He rolled his shoulder a bit, “Seems solid enough to me.”

“Oh, it’ll work well enough when you’re standing here rolling it gently, but I’ve seen the way you play.”

He smirked. A backstage coordinator poked her head in the dressing room, “Kitty Section? You’re on in ten.”

“Thanks!” Rose piped, bouncing on her toes. Marinette raced over to her to adjust her mask and check over the last bits of her costume.

“Hm, Rose, is this too loose for you? I can lace it up tighter in the back—” Marinette whirled behind her tiny pink friend and started adjusting the laces. She pulled the chest piece tighter so it was snug and ready for stage, but upon releasing the laces, she grimaced. 

“Marinette, is that--?” Luka startled her; she hadn’t noticed that he was right behind her, even though he kept handing her scissors and her sewing supplies. 

Marinette tried to wipe the blood off the costume where it had smeared from her finger. “Dang,” she moaned. “Good thing it’s on the back, nobody will notice it…”

Luka tentatively took Marinette’s hands and inspected them. She was bleeding from a pair of fingers that had taken the worst beating from all these last-minute adjustments. Marinette tried to pull away from Luka, but he just smiled.

“Come here,” he asked, holding her bleeding fingers tenderly as he escorted her to where his guitar case lay open on a table. “I’ve got the best salve…” He found the small bottle of a green-tinted cream, which he opened and started massaging into Marinette’s fingertips. “I never go anywhere without this amazing stuff,” he noted. “Just one of Juleka’s many talents,” he added, making the salve all the more precious. It had a pleasant cooling effect and Marinette’s fingers already felt better. 

“Thanks, Luka,” was all she could manage, as he finished her left hand and moved to her right—even more bruised and battered than the first. But, knowing that he had just moments before taking the stage, she interlaced her fingers with his and held up his hands for her own return inspection. His fingertips had deep grooves where the strings had indented them, and his right palm was sporting a meaty gash from where his string had snapped and struck him earlier that day. Marinette just sighed and took a fingerful of the lovely salve and reciprocated the soothing massage. 

“You know, we should probably both take better care of our hands,” he muttered.

She shrugged as she caressed each of his fingers, “I dunno, I kind of like this team effort.”


End file.
